Can a quasi-government agency avoid dysfunction when it has dual roles as regulator protecting the public from unethical lawyers and as trade association promoting lawyers’ professional and economic interests? District 20 House Member Anthony Kern says “No, it can’t.” For

The fight to reform lawyer regulation in Arizona resumes. HB2300 and HB2295 were introduced last Friday by Rep. Anthony Kern. HB2300 is the pure voluntary bar bill. It establishes that lawyers are not required to be a member of any

A petition was filed today that asks the Arizona Supreme Court to amend its Rules 32(c) and (d) so as to split the functions of the State Bar of Arizona into two distinct subsets, a mandatory membership organization (“Mandatory Bar”)

Having suffered a near-loss at the Arizona Legislature this term, the State Bar of Arizona now says it plans to inoculate itself from “hostile legislation” — by working to “be even more open and transparent.” But the extent of that effort

Right now, the State Bar of Arizona can spend attorneys’ mandatory dues on anything it wants to so long as the expenditure is related to improving the practice of law through the regulation of attorneys. That could mean lobbying, advertising

Consumer protections like the Ethics Hotline and the Client Protection Fund are preserved under HB 2221, and the Arizona Bar will never be able to divert money from these programs to fund lawyer amenities or political activities. HB 2221 makes

The Bill does not eliminate any consumer protection programs. Most importantly, the Bill does not eliminate the best consumer protection program, which is lawyer regulation that disciplines unethical lawyers by taking them out of circulation. Lawyer regulation remains a requirement and